Polarizer is one of the key components in a display device. FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a conventional polarizer. As shown in FIG. 1 the conventional polarizer includes a release film 101, an adhesive layer 102, a first protective film 103, a polarizing film 104, a second protective film 105 and a protective layer 106. Generally speaking, the first protective film 103 and the second protective film 105 are made of tri-cellulose acetate (TAC), and the polarizing film 104 are made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).
Conventional polarizing films may be classified into two categories: iodine-type polarization film and dye-type polarization film. The iodine-type polarization film is fabricated by stretching iodine-doped PVA, and the dye-type polarization film is fabricated by stretching dichroic-organic-dye-doped PVA. The polarizing film absorbs and transmits the incident light, particularly, transmits the incident light polarized in one direction while absorbs the incident light polarized in another direction. Thus, the polarization film exhibits a polarizing capability. Due to the material properties of the polarization film and the fabrication techniques of the polarizers, currently one polarizer may often exhibit the polarizing capability in only one polarization direction.
Displays usually require a wide viewing angle, which is closely related to the polarization direction of the polarizing film. Currently, displays often have to rely on other approaches for a wide viewing angle, such as multi-domain alignments of liquid crystal molecules. Although various fabrication methods of multi-axis polarization films have been studied, these fabrication methods often are not very effective. It may be difficult to find a fabrication method which is applicable with the display fabrication techniques. For example, a metal-slit-array based polarizer having different polarization directions may only be fabricated by employing high precision components, such as photomasks, which are not achievable in general display manufacturing.
The disclosed polarizer structure and fabrication method are directed to solve one or more problems in the art.